Omnibus
by MP1
Summary: KakaSaku drabbles. Ch3: Naruto and Sakura aren't the only ones who blame themselves because they fail to bring Sasuke back.
1. Intent

**For Whatever Intentions are Worth**

When she was but a toddler, she intended to be the most beautiful girl anyone had ever seen. But Fate decided that she be called the Forehead Girl.

When she started school, she intended to have fun like all other children did. But Fate decided that school be the bane of her existence. She had been alone and sad, until one Yamanaka Ino came along and helped her stand.

When she met Ino, she intended to be like the girl she admired the most. Her best friend, in whom she had always believed, was her goal. But Fate decided that one Uchiha Sasuke be the reason their friendship turned into petty rivalry.

When she became a genin, she intended to win the heart of Sasuke-kun. But Fate decided that his dark past and bitterness be too much for him to handle. He left one day, leaving her with an unrequited wish and a renewed conviction.

When Sasuke-kun, now no more than a broken soul, was finally returned to his rightful companions, she intended to find a way to his heart that she could see the light returning to his soulless eyes. But Fate decided that Hatake Kakashi be the one who found his way to her heart and saw the light returning to her jade orbs.

Fate had a way to tamper with everything she intended to do. But as she watched him sleeping peacefully, her gaze fell on the scar that ran across his one Sharingan. She realized then, that probably Fate had also interfered with his life more than he cared to count. And yet he wouldn't want to have it any other way.

She knew now that she wouldn't either.

**- The End -**

**A/N: **I wrote this a while ago for the weekly challenge in Kakasaku drabble community at LJ. Just now I decided to give ita home in FFdotNet.


	2. First

**First Meeting, First Impression**

_This is nice..._

So Kakashi thought to himself. For once he finally got the well-deserved break from all shinobi duties and he intended to really enjoy it. The weather was nice, the sun was shining brightly, the temperature was perfect, he was lying on the lush green meadows with his favorite book in one hand while his other arm---

"Ne, Kakashi… will you tell me?"

A man's peace wasn't meant to last forever, not when there was a woman curled up at his side who was using his arm as a pillow. Women generally loved to talk and this one was no exception.

He heard her all right, but he didn't feel like taking a break in his reading. The plot thickened and he really wanted to know what happened next. Besides, the great Hatake Kakashi was known for his multitasking ability. So he just let out a non-committal "Hnn…?" while absentmindedly running his fingers through her soft tresses to let her know that he was listening to her.

A scowl was finding its wayupon Sakura's countenance, but this was Kakashi she was dealing with. No need to get riled up about trivial matters. Besides, she kind of liked the way he tenderly caressed her pink hair.

Shifting her position a little bit, she snuggled closer to him, her eyes drank in his face—without the mask on. When asked about it, he had said that he refused to have his face unevenly tanned, so he'd slipped the mask off his face. Funny, she never thought of him as the vain type, but it seemed that he did care about his facial feature.

"What did you think of me when you first met me?"

His eyes still fixed on the illicit reading material, he said, "I thought I said that I didn't like you guys."

"Kakashi!" Sitting up, she slapped his side playfully. "I'm being serious here!"

"So am I," came the monotone reply.

"Hmph," she pouted in a childlike manner, "I didn't think you'd still hold a grudge for Naruto's ridiculous prank."

Finally putting down the book at his other side—he deliberately kept it away from her reach—he raised an eyebrow, amused at her antics. "Hey, you asked me a question and I answered truthfully. That's all that there is to it." He let his elbows support his weight as he faked an accusing expression. "Besides, it might be Naruto's idea, but you _let _him, so you're an accomplice."

"And just for the record," he added before she could say something, "I could've dodged the eraser if I'd wanted to."

Sakura sighed in defeat. "Why didn't you then?"

He shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly. "I just didn't feel like it. Plus I wanted to see if your generation still abided by the rule."

She was going to regret asking, but a part of her was curious. "Which rule?"

He didn't even try to hide the haughty look on his face. "You know, that rule: Honor thy teacher, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Hokage thy leader giveth thee."

"What a respect-craving bastard…" She muttered under her breath. One of these days she was going to find out how to win a verbal sparring against the witty Copy Ninja. No one told her that he had as much tricks up his sleeves for this kind of situation as for in a real battlefield.

Sakura sulked at the insufferable man's tendency to annoy her. "So since we didn't abide by _your _rule," the sarcasm in her voice wasn't lost on him, "you decided that you didn't like me?"

"Well, lucky for you…," she yelped when he suddenly pulled her toward him and secured her lithe form in his lap, "…not all first impressions last forever." Slowly he tilted her chin upward and met her lips in a gentle kiss.

She remembered the first time he had kissed her. It was in a setting much like this: quiet, serene, away from the nosy crowd, away from their shinobi duties. They were just two souls reaching out to each other. When he had held her in his arms afterwards, it had been the first time in a long time that she had truly felt at home.

Kakashi might be right that not all first impressions last forever. But the memory of their first kiss and the feeling of simply being in his arms would remain within her forever until the day she died. It would permanently be etched on her soul, never to be forgotten through the passage of time.

They say that home is where the heart is. She knew then and now, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that her heart had found its home in him.

**- The End -**

**Author's Note:  
**This was supposed to be a response to the week 14 challenge with the word 'First' from KakaSaku drabble community at LJ, but the word count is way past the maximum allowed.


	3. Guilt

**A/N:** Spoiler warning: recent manga chapters...

**Guilt Complex**

"So that's how it went… I heard from Yamato already, but still…" Kakashi sighed as he leaned back. He stared blankly at the pristine white sheet that covered his lower body. His strength was returning, but Tsunade refused to let him off the hospital just yet.

"Yeah…" Her hands folded in her lap, Sakura's gaze was pensive and downcast. "Then they just disappeared like that…"

"Chidori nagashi, eh?" His expression was a mixture of bitterness and sorrow as he ran his fingers through his unruly hair.

She nodded slowly as she recalled the terrifying sight. "It came out of his entire body... But that's not all. You know that according to Yamato taichou, Sasuke-kun was even able to send the chidori through the blade of a sword."

If anything, his face grew even sadder as he sighed dejectedly. "A display of talent and power really befitting the title of Konoha's numberone rookie, isn't it?"

"Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura looked up to his face and saw the regret written all over his countenance. Outwardly he seemed as unruffled as always, but the clenching hands at his side betrayed his inner struggle.

It dawned on her then, what could have induced so much guilt in him. Kakashi was the one who had taught the chidori to Sasuke. It had almost killed Naruto once, and just a few days ago it could have killed them all.

Sakura had always known that her sensei cared about his students no matter what other people might think and say. Sasuke's betrayal must have hurt him, but she hadn't known that it burdened his mind and soul so.

'_I told him that chidori was a power given to him to protect those who are important to him… I told him that it wasn't to be used against friends…'_

Kakashi chuckled bitterly. His whisper was so soft that Sakura almost didn't hear it. "I should've known better."

'_Even with this eye, I failed to see what was going to happen. If you were alive, what would you say to me now, Obito?'_

She had never seen him so emotionally vulnerable. The grief in his eye was so raw. In that instant she saw how much guilt he was harboring inside and how it was eating him alive. Her heart went out to him.

"Kakashi-sensei, it was Sasuke-kun's choice."

Sakura offered him a small smile that didn't quite reached her hears eyes as she put an assuring hand on his tensed arm. His black eye widened in surprise, both at the physical contact and the sincerity he found in her words.

"So don't keep blaming yourself." '_Blame me too, because I wasn't strong enough.'_

He wondered since when she became so perceptive of his feelings. He was pretty sure that Tsunade didn't know any mind-reading jutsu.

"Everyone makes mistake, even the great Copy Ninja." She smirked as the melancholy on his face dissipated, replaced by a slightly affronted expression. "Really, Kakashi-sensei, how many of us managed to get it right at the first try?"

He fell silent for a while and then nodded. "Aa…"

Glancing at the clock at the far side of the room, she knew that it was time to leave. She rose from her seat beside Kakashi's hospital bed and dusted her clothes. "So just get well soon. Next time you'll help us out too, ok?" She turned around and saluted him. "I'll check on you again tomorrow and I'll bring Naruto with me. He's been asking about you."

She was halfway through the room when she heard him calling her.

"Sakura…"

She stopped in her track and threw him a glance over her shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Don't keep blaming yourself either." The smile on Kakashi's face was genuine, something that Sakura didn't often see. "Your heart is strong enough."

It was her turn to be surprised. For a moment there, she suspected him of using a mind-reading jutsu on her; thatman knew over a 1000 jutsu after all. Then her gaze softened. She smiled also, and this time it definitely felt less forced than before.

He raised his hand in a parting gesture. "Thanks for coming." '_And for everything else…'_

"Don't mention it, Sensei." '_Because I know how much you care about us…_'

Kakashi watched her retreating back and Sakura wondered since when he became so perceptive of her heart.

**- The End -**

**A/N: **This chapter is inspired by the theme of week 14 ('guilt' is the word) from KakaSaku drabble community at LJ, but again, I went over the word limit.


End file.
